Saturday, December 30, 2017

CALDWELL, Idaho (KBOI) — Police are investigating the theft of thousands of dollars worth of fuel from a business at the Caldwell Airport.The theft is believed to have happened at Silverhawk Aviation Academy between Christmas Eve and December 27th.The owner said about 500 gallons of aviation fuel was siphoned from two of the business' fuel trucks."It's $4.68 cents a gallon," said Catherine Weber, Owner and Operator of Silverhawk Aviation Academy. "So, they stole over 2,000 dollar's worth of fuel."That's a big hit to a small business, but Catherine says that's not the worst part.She thinks it was an inside job."It's not just the cost. We are a community out here. That's the hard thing. We feel this was someone on the field because they would have had to come through the security gates to take the fuel. So, that is the part that bothers me the most," said Catherine.She said that in order for the thief or thieves to get away with that much fuel, they would have had to have had their own 500 gallon truck or nearly a dozen 55 gallon drums."That's what makes me think it was a specialized aviation truck that was set up for this," said Catherine.Caldwell Police say they found no sign of forced entry. They are still investigating.Meanwhile, Silverhawk Aviation Academy is making sure something like this doesn't happen again. Catherine says they're beefing up security and are now storing their fuel trucks inside.Catherine said in her 18 years as owner, nothing like this has ever happened. Oddly enough, on Thanksgiving, a Cafe at the Caldwell Airport was also burglarized.Story, video and photos: http://idahonews.com

Caldwell Airport Cafe

CALDWELL, Idaho (KBOI) — While small business owner Becky Aldrich was enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with her family, two men were stealing nearly $1,000 from her cafe.
Aldrich says she was robbed after receiving a large delivery order of frozen goods. Replacing the money for her business could not have come at a worse time for Aldrich, as she buys Christmas gifts for her children and birthday presents for her daughter, whose birthday came several days after the robbery."I work seven days a week to support my kids, I've got a four year old and a two year old," said Aldrich. "It's heartbreaking to know somebody's out there doing that while you're enjoying time with your family."Fighting back the tears, she said she hopes the men enjoy what they took, although she can't understand why they did it. She said the men stole large quantities of frozen meats, leaving her to wonder where the thieves would store the thirty-pound boxes of bacon they took. She also noted how the thieves took the time to lock the restaurant back up after robbing it, as if she wouldn't notice everything that was missing.Aldrich says she is fearful because the Caldwell Police Department has not caught the men, and she is the first one at her cafe in the morning when it is still dark. She says when she watched the surveillance video, she hoped she would recognize the thieves to "take the edge off.""Watching them walk out the back door, not knowing who they are or when they could come back is scary," said Aldrich.To avoid history from repeating itself, Aldrich is going to install more surveillance cameras that she can watch from her phone. Story, video and photo gallery ➤ http://idahonews.com

Location: Ogden, UTAccident Number: WPR18FA063Date & Time: 12/29/2017, 1441 MSTRegistration: N4395RAircraft: CESSNA 172MInjuries: 2 FatalFlight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal On December 29, 2017, about 1441 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172M, N4395R, impacted water in the northern portion of the Great Salt Lake. The commercial pilot and a private pilot rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to the Hill Flying Club Inc., and operated by a private individual as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from the Ogden-Hinckley Airport (OGD), Ogden, Utah, about 1420.After family members became concerned that the pilots had failed to return from their flight, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT) for the airplane. No emergency locator beacon signal was reported. A ground and air search ensued, however, on January 2, 2018, the search was terminated. Subsequently, several days later, an area where the airplane may have impacted was calculated, in the northern portion of the Great Salt Lake. The area was scanned with sonar equipment, and a target that resembled the airplane was identified in about 20 ft of water. On January 13, the target was cofirmed to be the missing airplane. Aircraft and Owner/Operator InformationAircraft Manufacturer: CESSNARegistration: N4395RModel/Series: 172M MAircraft Category: AirplaneAmateur Built: NoOperator: On fileOperating Certificate(s) Held: None Meteorological Information and Flight PlanConditions at Accident Site: Visual ConditionsCondition of Light: DayObservation Facility, Elevation: OGD, 4472 ft mslObservation Time: 1453 MSTDistance from Accident Site:Temperature/Dew Point: 9°C / -3°CLowest Cloud Condition: ClearWind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots, 320°Lowest Ceiling:Visibility: 10 MilesAltimeter Setting: 30.15 inches HgType of Flight Plan Filed: NoneDeparture Point: OGDEN, UT (OGD)Destination: OGDEN, UT (OGD) Wreckage and Impact InformationCrew Injuries: 1 FatalAircraft Damage: UnknownPassenger Injuries: 1 FatalAircraft Fire: UnknownGround Injuries: N/AAircraft Explosion: UnknownTotal Injuries: 2 FatalLatitude, Longitude: 41.195556, -112.013056 (est)

Chief Deputy Dale Ward with Box Elder County Sheriff’s Department talks with media after successful recovery operation Saturday, Jan. 13. The search-and-rescue team recovered the bodies of two men missing from Box Elder County after their plane crashed in the Great Salt Lake.

BOX ELDER COUNTY — After two weeks of search and recovery efforts, the two men missing from Box Elder County were found dead Saturday in the Great Salt Lake.The bodies of Denny Mansell, 71, and Peter Ellis, 74, were recovered from the site of a crashed Cessna-172 airplane off Promontory Point, officials say.Chief Deputy Dale Ward with the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said in a press conference that the families have been notified and the bodies were transferred to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will determine the exact cause of death.The men and the plane had been missing since Friday, Dec. 29, when they left the Ogden-Hinckley Airport around 3:30 p.m. to fly to the Promontory area to watch the trains at the Golden Spike Historic Site. They were reported missing at about 9:20 p.m. that night.“All members of this operation send our condolences to the Ellis and Mansell family,” Ward said. “We’re pleased that we were able to bring some closure to the family with the recovery today.”Ward said National Transportation Safety Board investigators and the insurance company of the airplane will now take over on recovering the aircraft, which was discovered last weekend under 20 feet of water in the Great Salt Lake, according to a press release from the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office.Ward stressed the difficulty of the mission, and listed several involved agencies and officers, including Box Elder County Sheriff, BE Search and Rescue, Utah Department of Public Safety, Civil Air Patrol, Box Elder Communications Center, Utah Division of Natural Resources and Weber County Scuba/Search and Rescue.“This was probably the most technical operation that either Weber or Box Elder teams have ever done,” Ward said during the conference, describing complications with boats and dive equipment due to the saline levels in the Great Salt Lake. “Divers had to almost double their body weight in order to get down to the aircraft. ... The visibility was less than a foot under water and most of the work had to be completed by feel.”Following prep work on Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning, search-and-rescue teams were on the water by 9:30 a.m. Saturday and completed the mission at 11:30 a.m. with the recovery of the bodies, Ward said.“The success of this dive was because the Weber Dive Team spent the past week getting familiar with a similar aircraft at the Ogden Airport and practicing how doors opened, location of equipment in the cabin, how the safety belts operated, etc.,” Ward said in a press release. “These practice sessions were done by feel to simulate dive conditions.”Ward also emphasized the danger of the operation. The diver who found the men nearly entered a hypothermic state before he could remove his suit, Ward said.However, all participants in the operation are now safe, he said.Ward credits the family members of both men and their knowledge of airplanes for the quick location of the aircraft. Some family members were commercial pilots.The family was assisted by mathematicians who calculated data to help pinpoint the plane’s location, greatly reducing the scope of their search, Ward said.And the success of the operation despite its difficult location was due to the dedication of rescue workers, he added.“We certainly hope we don’t have to dive in the north arm of the Great Salt Lake anytime soon,” he said.“We are not going to give up searching until the loved ones are recovered. We will search until we cannot search any longer.”http://www.standard.net

Searchers have recovered the bodies of two men whose airplane crashed into the Great Salt Lake two weeks ago. Dive teams located the pilot, 71-year-old Denny Mansell, and passenger 74-year-old Peter Ellis, Saturday morning.Box Elder County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dale Ward said scuba divers recovered the bodies of the two missing men, inside the crashed Cessna 172, under about 20-feet of water. The bodies were transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, and to determine the exact cause of death.Mansell and Ellis were reported missing after they failed to return home from a private flight, December 29. The two men took off from the Ogden Hinckley Airport earlier in the afternoon. They had told family members, they planned to fly to the Promontory area and view the trains at the Golden Spike Historical Site from the air.Searchers found the crash site last week in the north part of the lake, after analyzing radar data from the aircraft prior to its loss of signal and following up on tips from the public. They used sonar equipment, to determine that the object was an airplane about the size of the missing Cessna 172.Ward said recovery efforts had been hampered because of bad weather and equipment issues, primarily because of the saline levels in the water. Divers had to almost double their body weight in order to get down to the aircraft. Once there, visibility was less than a foot and most of the work had to be completed by feel.Deputies, along with search and rescue teams were assisted by the Utah Department of Public Safety, Civil Air Patrol, Box Elder Communications Center, Utah Division of Natural Resources, and the Weber County Scuba/Search and Rescue.Ward said search and rescue teams are thankful to bring some closure to the Mansell and Ellis families. They also extended their condolences.The investigation has been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board.http://www.cachevalleydaily.com

PROMONTORY, Box Elder County — Search and rescue crews have identified an object found in the Great Salt Lake as an airplane that matches the size and description of a plane that went missing last month.While heavy fog hampered crews' efforts to navigate to the object's location, along with equipment issues that caused delays, a dive to further investigate the plane scheduled for Sunday morning was postponed. But there was an "upside" to Sunday's efforts, said Dale Ward, Box Elder County sheriff's chief deputy.The object was "unequivocally identified as an airplane of the general size and description of our Cessna 172," Ward said in a news release Sunday.The Cessna was carrying pilot Denny Mansell and passenger Peter Ellis, both in their 70s, when it went missing Dec. 29.The men had planned to fly near the Promontory Point area and get a bird's-eye view of the winter steam engine festival at the Golden Spike National Historic Site.The Weber County Sheriff's Office, Utah Department of Public Safety and Civil Air Patrol have all assisted in the search for the plane, as well as the 100 members of the Hill Flying Club, of which both Mansell and Ellis are members.The Weber County Sheriff's Office had been helping Box Elder in the search by scanning the Great Salt Lake with sonar. On Saturday, officials found a "target" to investigate further, the agency posted on Facebook."(We) hope we are successful and can bring closure to the family," the post stated.Images obtained from sonar "convinced us that the object was absolutely an airplane and was consistent with the size of a Cessna 172," Ward said.The aircraft is resting on the bottom of the Great Salt Lake in about 14 feet of water on private property near Promontory, he said.There is also a "sizable debris field" surrounding the aircraft, but none of those objects have been identified yet, Ward said.The deputy said the "only way" to positively confirm the aircraft as the missing Cessna 172 is to have divers investigate it.Due to weather and other logistical issues, the dive Sunday was postponed. It had not been rescheduled as of Sunday afternoon, Ward said.Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.deseretnews.com

UPDATE: Search crews stated Sunday that equipment problems and inclement weather including fog prevented dive teams from entering Great Salt Lake Sunday.
According to a press release from Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office, crews reassembled Sunday to dive down to a possible aircraft found in about 14 feet of water in the north arm of the Great Salt Lake. However, due to equipment issues and fog, the dive was not undertaken Sunday.It is unclear when the dive will take place, as searchers say they need to consider several factors to complete what they called a “technical dive”.Authorities stated that Sunday’s efforts did reveal more details about the object in the water.“The upside to today’s efforts is that the object was unequivocally identified as an airplane of the general size and description of our Cessna 172,” the release states.The object was found earlier in the week after aviation experts analyzed various factors and determined the missing airplane was likely in a small section of the north arm of Great Salt Lake.Crews struggled with Fog Saturday as well. Video posted by Weber County Search and Rescue shows the foggy conditions on the lake Saturday.Story, video and photo gallery ➤ http://fox13now.com

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — Search teams in Box Elder County plan to put divers into Great Salt Lake Sunday after they found an object in the water believed to be an airplane.

The object was spotted Saturday and the find comes more than a week after an airplane with two Ogden men on board was reported missing in the Promontory area near Great Salt Lake.

Dale Ward, Chief Deputy with Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office, said the object is in the north arm of Great Salt Lake and was spotted by search crews working on boats with sonar.

“We’ve discovered what we believe to be an airplane, and we are going to put divers in to confirm that,” Ward said.

Ward said they are not able to confirm the object is the aircraft reported missing out of Ogden, but he said they are confident the object is an aircraft of some kind. He said they have been working with pilots and aviation experts as they search for the missing plane.

“We worked with some experts to get us to where we are right now,” Ward said Saturday.

The airplane reported missing out of Ogden December 30 was piloted by 71-year-old Denny Mansell. His friend, 74-year-old Peter Ellis, was riding as a passenger.

Both men are from Ogden and had planned to fly over the Winter Steam Festival being held at Golden Spike Historic Site that day. The pair was reported missing when they did not return later that evening as planned.

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — Search teams in Box Elder County plan to put divers into Great Salt Lake Sunday after they found an object in the water believed to be an airplane.The object was spotted Saturday and the find comes more than a week after an airplane with two Ogden men on board was reported missing in the Promontory area near Great Salt Lake. Dale Ward, Chief Deputy with Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office, said the object is in the north arm of Great Salt Lake and was spotted by search crews working on boats.“We’ve discovered what we believe to be an airplane, and we are going to put divers in to confirm that,” Ward said.Ward said they are not able to confirm the object is the aircraft reported missing out of Ogden, but he said they are confident the object is an aircraft of some kind. He said they have been working with pilots and aviation experts as they search for the missing plane.“We worked with some experts to get us to where we are right now,” Ward said Saturday.The dive teams plan to enter the water Sunday morning.The airplane reported missing out of Ogden December 30 was piloted by 74-year-old Denny Mansell. His friend, 74-year-old Peter Ellis, was riding as a passenger.Both men are from Ogden and had planned to fly over the Winter Steam Festival being held at Golden Spike Historic Site that day. The pair was reported missing when they did not return later that evening as planned.Original article can be found here ➤ http://fox13now.com

BRIGHAM CITY — It's been one week since a plane carrying two men went missing in northern Utah. But friends of Denny Mansell, 71, and passenger Peter Ellis, 74, say they are not giving up looking."They're like family. These guys are husbands, they have wives, they're fathers, they have kids, they're grandpas, they have grandkids. They're just stellar people," John Malmberg, president of the Hill Flying Club and a friend of both men, said Friday.On Dec. 29, Mansell, the pilot, and Ellis took off from the Ogden-Hinckley Airport in Mansell's Cessna 172. Their plan was to fly the Promontory Point area, take pictures of the winter steam engine festival at the Golden Spike historic site, then return to the airport about an hour later, according to the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office.But whether they made it to Golden Spike or decided to fly to other areas afterward was still unknown Friday.The Weber County Sheriff's Office, Utah Department of Public Safety and Civil Air Patrol have all assisted in the search, as well as the 100 members of the Hill Flying Club — the flying club that both Mansell and Ellis are members of.Maimberg said in the past week his group, and even private pilots, have searched the south tip of the Promontory Point area extensively, as well as surrounding areas stretching from the Pocatello Valley, Malad Valley, Hansel Valley, Sardine Canyon, Trapper's Loop, North Ogden Canyon and Weber Canyon."We've put a lot of man hours, a lot of airplane hours, searching down low, looking in every canyon and crevasse we can," he said. "We don't do it haphazardly. We fly where we have had some information that a possibility where they're going to be and then we fly it in a grid manner. … Problem is, we're looking for something that probably doesn't look like an airplane."Recently, the club received a tip that the plane was spotted flying a week ago near Malad, Idaho. On Friday, Maimberg said he was going to fly the shoreline on the north end of the Great Salt Lake. At the same time, he said Weber County sheriff's search and rescue crews were using boats equipped with sonar in the same area to search.

Mansell was a very experienced pilot with more than 45 years of flying, Maimberg said."Both of them were capable of flying that airplane, and Denny could fly it as well as anyone around," he said.But Maimberg's personal theory is the plane may have been caught in a strong down-draft that slammed them to the ground.He said it's doubtful at this point that the men survived.Maimberg is encouraging recreationists in northern Utah who are out hiking, target shooting or hunting to keep their eyes open.Comment on this story"If they see something out of the ordinary — a burn scar, a little burn scar could be 6 to 8 feet around if they went in hard," he said. "Or just a little field of debris. But I think what we're looking for is something that doesn't look like an airplane, so it makes it even tougher."It's important, Maimberg said, to find the remains of the men to give closure to the family."You can replace an airplane. You just can't replace people. It's the part of not being able to tell their families where they're at or what's happened that's the tough part," he said.

A longtime Utah State University professor and former Logan resident was one of two men aboard a light plane that went missing Friday after taking off from Ogden-Hinckley Airport.Former USU economics professor Peter Ellis, 74, was the passenger in an airplane piloted by 71-year-old Denny Mansell. The two men, both currently living in Ogden, were reportedly headed to Promontory to fly over the trains on display at Golden Spike Historical Site during the Winter Steam Festival.A search for the missing plane was launched Friday night and continued through much of the holiday weekend. It included a boat patrol in the Great Salt Lake along with ground and air resources.Late Sunday, the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office announced it was scaling back the search. At that time, a Department of Public Safety helicopter, as well as the Civil Air Patrol, were dismissed from the search.The missing plane is a red and white Cessna 172 and was believed to have taken off around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Searchers have requested anyone who might have seen the plane matching this description to email missingplane4395@gmail.com. The information could help crews narrow their search area.Original article can be found here ➤ https://news.hjnews.com

BOX ELDER COUNTY — No new leads had developed in the search for two men and a missing aircraft out of Ogden as of Sunday afternoon, but family is asking for photos from people who were at the Golden Spike Historic Site Friday.
The search for pilot Denny Mansell, 71, and passenger Peter Ellis, 74, continued Sunday morning, with an added boat patrol from the Utah Department of Parks and Recreation checking the Great Salt Lake, according to a news release from the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office. “There have been several tips that have come in and all have been investigated, however no definitive leads have developed. Search efforts will continue until nightfall,” Box Elder Chief Deputy Dale Ward said in the release. Mansell and Ellis left the Ogden-Hinckley Airport around 3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, in a red and white Cessna 172 to fly to the Promontory area to watch the trains during the Steam Festival at the Golden Spike Historical Site. The two planned to return around 4:30 p.m. the same day.The family of the missing men asks that anyone who was at the festival on Friday afternoon and has evidence that the plane was there, such as photos, to send them to missingplane4395@gmail.com. The plane was likely in the area between 3-5 p.m. “If we can establish that they flew the Golden Spike Site, it will help narrow the search area,” Dale said in the release. The search for the missing men began Friday night with sheriff’s deputies searching at ground-level and a helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety searching from the skies, the release says.In addition to the sheriff’s office, Box Elder Search and Rescue, the Utah Department of Public Safety, Civil Air Patrol and the Box Elder Communications Center are all helping conduct the search. Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.standard.net

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah (ABC4 News) - Officials from the Box Elder County Sheriffs Office, Utah Department of Public Safety and the Civil Air Patrol are looking for an aircraft that went missing near the Great Salt Lake on Friday night.The searchers are covering an area known as the Spiral Jetty which is along the boarder of the Great Salt Lake in Box Elder County.According to Chief Deputy Dale Ward, the crews are searching for a red and white Cessna 172 with tail number N4395R. The aircraft has two occupants on board: Denny Mansell, age 71, and Peter Ellis, age 74.Crews started searching the area Friday night after dispatchers were contacted advising of an overdue aircraft shortly before 9:30 p.m. Crews expanded their search into the Great Salt Lake on Sunday.The family is now asking for the public's help. They are requesting that anyone that was at the Steam Festival on Friday and has evidence the plane was in the area, such as photographs, they are asked to e-mail this address: missingplane4395@gmail.com. The plane was most likely in the area between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Story and video ➤ http://www.good4utah.com

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah, Dec. 31, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A search for an aircraft missing since Friday afternoon has widened to the Great Salt Lake Sunday, according to a news release from the Box Elder County Sheriff.A Department of Parks and Recreation boat has joined the search, patrolling the Great Salt Lake to assist with the search for a red and white Cessna 172, No. N4395R.The plane’s two occupants are pilot Denny Mansell, 71, and his passenger, Peter Ellis, 74.Family members said the men left Ogden-Hinckley Airport at about 3:30 p.m. Friday, planning to fly to the Promontory area and view the trains at Golden Spike Historic Site from the air. They expected to return to Ogden by about 4:30 p.m.The news release states that Box Elder Communications was contacted at about 9:20 p.m. Friday with a of report of the overdue plane. A check of local airports was requested.Deputies on the ground and the Department of Public Safety helicopter searched through Friday night and early Saturday morning, concentrating in the Promontory area of Box Elder County.“Search and Rescue teams started at first light on Saturday and later supported by Civil Air Patrol and DPS. Volunteers began an early air search Saturday and were active until Civil Air Patrol restricted the air space,” the release continues.Search efforts were suspended at dark Saturday, but search and rescue crews continued patrolling on the ground Sunday, while DPS and Civil Air Patrol searched from the air.Original article can be found here ➤ http://gephardtdaily.com

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — Search and rescue crews are working near Promontory Point Saturday after an airplane carrying two men was reported missing. Later Saturday police identified those men as 74-year-old Peter Ellis and 71-year-old Denny Mansell, both of Ogden.Mansell is listed as the pilot of the aircraft, which is a red and white Cessna 172.Sgt. Steve Berry with Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said the two men departed from Ogden-Hinckley Airport around 3:30 p.m. Friday and were supposed to return before dark.The pair was reported missing at 9:20 p.m. and search operations began Friday night with a helicopter and continued Saturday.The pilot is known to make trips to the Spiral Jetty, and Berry said the pilot may have been planning to fly over Promontory Point, where the Winter Steam Festival is underway. Authorities say the terrain they are searching includes a lot of area to cover and many canyons both big and small, which complicates their efforts. Authorities have also checked with nearby airports to make sure the men didn’t make an unexpected landing elsewhere.A Department of Public Safety helicopter is aiding in the search effort along with the Civil Air Patrol. The search remains active Saturday evening and officials say they will continue searching until dark. If the plane has not been found by dark, search efforts will resume again Sunday morning.Authorities say the two men are friends and that they have contacted their respective families about the search.Story and video ➤ http://fox13now.com

BOX ELDER COUNTY — (KUTV)- Search and Rescue teams in Box Elder are currently searching in the area of the Great Salt Lake for a possible downed aircraft Saturday afternoon.According to dispatch, searchers are looking in the area known as the Spiral Jetty which is along the border of the Great Salt Lake for a missing is a Cessna 172, red and white in color, N4395R.Officials believe the plane is occupied by two people; pilot Denny Mansell, 71, and passenger Peter Ellis, 74.According to family they left Ogden Hinckley Airport about 3:30 PM on Friday with plans to fly to the Promontory area and view the trains at the Golden Spike Historic Site from the air then return to Ogden about 4:30 PM.Box Elder dispatch was alerted about the overdue aircraft around 9:20 PM and requested a check of the local airports.According to a press release, a search involving Deputies and the DPS helicopter went through Friday night into early Saturday focusing on the Promontory area of Box Elder County. The search efforts will be suspended at dark Saturday evening and will resume again Sunday morning.Story and video ➤ http://kutv.com

BRIDGEPORT - Emergency crews respond to the North Central West Virginia Airport.An Alert 2 was issued just before 4 p.m. Saturday.Airport director Rick Rock said the Alert 2 was issued because the small aircraft had a door light come on. Rock said the door light signals that there is something wrong with the door or that it was not shut properly. The plane did land smoothly. Bridgeport Fire Department, Harrison County EMS and Shinnston Fire Department responded to the scene. Story and photo ➤ http://www.wboy.com

A SkyWest flight headed to Minneapolis from Pasco had to make an emergency return landing at the Tri-Cities Airport at 12:30 p.m.Buck Taft, airport director, said that a nose gear indicator light came on inside the plane, prompting the pilot to turn around back for Pasco.The flight, SkyWest/Delta 4475, took off at 11:04 a.m. It already had been delayed since 6:20 a.m. because of the icy weather.The Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900, operated by SkyWest for Delta Airlines, was on a direct flight with about 70 people on board. No one was hurt.Flightaware.com, which uses publicly available data to track flight paths, shows the flight didn’t even clear Franklin County before bending north, then flying in circles.Officials said the plane had to burn fuel so it could land safely. It circled for more than an hour before coming down around 12:30 p.m.The plane was able to taxi up to the terminal and did not appear to have any obvious equipment problems.Pasco emergency crews waited at the airport in case there was a more serious landing. Buses were brought in to haul passengers if needed.“We are working to help passengers resume their travels as quickly as possible,” Delta spokeswoman Marissa Snow said.Story, video and photos ➤ http://www.tri-cityherald.com

According to the Duluth Airport Authority, a plane carrying around 50 passengers was stranded on the runway Friday night for about an hour and 15 minutes, after a mechanical issue.The DAA says the Delta flight, coming from Minneapolis-St. Paul, arrived around 10 p.m. safely, but lost steering capabilities upon it's arrival in Duluth. The pilot didn't realize there was an issue until they landed and went to turn off the runway. The pilot notified the FAA Tower, but the Tower did not notify the airport staff.According to the DAA, due to the lack of communication from the Tower, it wasn't until an airport employee who was doing a regular runway check noticed the plane still on the runway and contacted the Monaco Air staff that is qualified to pull an airplane in. The staff that is qualified to pull the aircraft arrived 20 minutes later and then had to get the proper equipment to pull the aircraft in. "It's a very complicated process to pull, pushing is a very normal qualification, most employees are qualified to push an aircraft out, but in order to pull an aircraft in, it's just like when you're towing a car not everyone can do it," Natalie Peterson, Communications and Marketing Director with DAA, said. The DAA said it took 77 minutes from the time the plane landed to when it made it safely back to the gate.Peterson said their crews did a great job getting the passengers and plane back to the gate safely.Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.wdio.com

A member of the North Adams Airport Commission has been removed as police investigate financial irregularities at the city-owned Harriman-and-West Airport.North Adams police are investigating "irregularities in the fuel account" at the municipal airport, Mayor Richard Alcombright told the Berkshire Eagle.Alcombright removed Trevor Gilman on Thursday, the Eagle confirmed through city clerk records after the mayor declined to identify the commissioner by name. Gilman was removed because his actions "are not in the best interests of the city," Alcombright wrote in a letter to Gilman.Gilman told the the Pittsfield newspaper that "every accusation will be proven false." He said he has volunteered at the airport for 20 years.Alcombright, who leaves office Monday, said the investigation began earlier this month, and that more information will be revealed in about two weeks.The five-member airport commission, an appointed city board, meets once a month.Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.masslive.comInvestigation into fuel account prompts mayor to remove North Adams airport commissionerNORTH ADAMS — A member of the North Adams Airport Commission was removed from his post on Thursday amidst an ongoing police investigation into "irregularities in the fuel account" at Harriman-and-West Airport.Mayor Richard Alcombright confirmed the investigation to The Eagle on Thursday, but would not confirm the name of the commissioner who was removed.However, Alcombright removed Trevor Gilman from the commission on Thursday in a notice to the city clerk."The reason for your removal is that your actions as a member of the commission, and the activities you undertook in furtherance thereof, have been, and are not in the best interests of the city," Alcombright wrote in a letter to Gilman.The letter states that the facts that led to Gilman's removal are withheld, as of now, "as the matter is currently under investigation.""I am certain that upon investigation every accusation will be proven false," Gilman wrote in a statement to The Eagle on Thursday.The investigation has been underway for about three weeks and is being led by the North Adams Police Department, according to Alcombright, who declined to specify the scope of "irregularities" in the account. He expects more information to be forthcoming in about two weeks.Alcombright refused to comment on the specifics of the investigation other than to say that "at this point in time, I don't see where there's any financial loss to the city."In his statement to The Eagle, Gilman said he has volunteered at the airport in various capacities for more than 20 years."Because of this, pretty much every part of the airport operations and management are connected to me in one way or another," Gilman said.Gilman said he volunteered and organized Teamflys to fill the gap when Shamrock Aviation closed, leaving the airport without a fuel provider and flight school. He has managed it for four years, he said."This situation created a perception of conflict" and resulted in "an effort to discredit me," according to Gilman."It has hurt the airport and my reputation," Gilman said.According to its Facebook Page, Teamflys, where Gilman says he is a "volunteer manager," offers professional flight instruction, aircraft rental and scenic flights. The company describes itself as not offering instruction "for the sake of profit," but to grow "our flying community.""I made it my personal goal during my time on the commission to create an airport that was an economic engine for the community at no cost to the taxpayers, while balancing the interests of the tenants, users and neighbors evenly. I've done this without personal gain for [over] 20 years," Gilman said. Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.berkshireeagle.com

HATFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - State Police have released a video taken by their Air Wing following a search for a man in Hatfield Friday night amidst very frigid temperatures. Troopers were called in to assist local police and their Air Wing team monitored the situation from above. This was just before 10 p.m. Friday."Hatfield Police and troopers assigned to the State Police Northampton Barracks were searching for a man who had made threats against himself, then fled a residence into the woods. It was also learned that the man also had felony warrants for his arrest," noted State Police.Troopers operating the Air Wing were able to locate the man in the woods by using the helicopters "FLIR" which helped guide officers and troopers on the ground to the man."The man was not dressed for the zero degree weather... he had covered himself with snow and was laying on the bank of a ice covered pond," State Police reported. After authorities located the man he was "guided out of the woods." The man was then transported to a local hospital to be treated for "exposure.""Hatfield Police will handle the arrest once he is released from the hospital," State Police added. Further details were not released. Story and video ➤ http://www.westernmassnews.com

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday proposed an investment in Stewart International Airport in Orange County and announced the completion of a high-speed gondola project at Belleayre Mountain's Ski Resort in the Catskills.The proposal for $34 million in public and private investment at the airport near Newburgh is the 17th announcement the governor has made in advance of his State of the State 2018 address on Wednesday.The governor is calling for spending $27 million in public funds for improvements to expand international passenger service at the airport and to rename it New York International at Stewart Field.He has also asked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to request proposals from companies to build a solar photovoltaic system at the airport that would produce electricity used at the main terminal and establish electric vehicle charging stations.The Catskill Thunder high-speed gondola began operation Saturday at Belleayre Mountain. The gondola transports about 2,000 people per hour.Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.timesunion.com

The St. Cloud Regional Airport is gearing up for Super Bowl traffic, expecting VIPs in private jets to need space to land, park and refuel their aircraft.

At St. Cloud Regional Airport, staff members are counting out corporate jet parking spots and rehearsing scenarios to plow snow from runways amid more takeoffs and landings surrounding Super Bowl weekend.At Rochester International Airport, officials are waiting to see which teams are in the championship game to get a sense of how many extra planes they might expect.While the Twin Cities are abuzz with preparations for the big game, some airports outside the metro are also making plans for increased traffic from high-flyers on business jets.In St. Cloud, Airport Director Bill Towle said he estimates crews could see from 40 to 50 extra business jets over the long weekend. "After the divisional playoff games is apparently when the phone starts ringing off the hook," he said.While smaller airports near the metro area can handle small jets, Towle said he expects some pilots who aren't comfortable with winter weather to opt for St. Cloud or other larger outstate airports with precision instrument landing systems, making it easier to take off and land with relatively low cloud ceilings and visibility.Officials expect some VIPs will try to be dropped off in the Twin Cities, with their pilots continuing on to airports outstate to park their jets; other VIPs might land outstate and take a car into town. Flight restrictions around U.S. Bank Stadium will hinder some movement in the metro during the game, Towle said.St. Cloud could handle about 45 medium-sized business jets on its ramp parking area, and, if more space is needed, officials could close a runway to fit another 50 planes.At Rochester International Airport, Executive Director John Reed said staff and flight-support crews are accustomed to handling VIP traffic. "We feel like we can support 20 to 30 planes very comfortably," he said.In Duluth, officials have parking space for about 32 jets, said Natalie Peterson, director of communications and marketing for the Duluth Airport Authority.Towle said he's excited about the increased attention his airport could get. "You just can't put a dollar amount on this marketing," he said.Story and photo ➤ http://www.startribune.com